Tuesday, May 26, 2015

"Orbs and E.V.P.s:

by Chris Chaos

ORBS:
Over the last few years there has been an onslaught of "proof" that spirits, ghosts and demons exist due to the rise of popular paranormal television shows featuring orbs. But what exactly is an orb you ask? In theory they are hovering round balls of light/energy and come in all ranges of brightness and intensities. They can be quite fast and be very erratic when captured on video. They even come in different colors and according to self-proclaimed experts, each color represents a different entity or mood the spirit is in according to enthusiasts.


Most of the pictures taken that contain orbs are obtained from dirty dusty old houses, empty hospitals, schools or prisons that have been abandoned for many years, so of course there will be a large amount of dust collected in these locations. To test this in your own house you can turn off all the lights and make a room as dark as possible, now move and shake a curtain (or a blanket) and allow a sun beam to come into the room. Chances are you will see a lot of dust no matter how clean of a house you keep. If you were to take a photo with a digital camera enabling the flash, no doubt you would capture many orbs in the photo due to the sunbeam, the flash and the dust reacting and causing reflections. You can also obtain similar results if you take a photo with a digital camera in a high humidity area, in the rain or in snow fall.

Although there is not a 100% way of saying if an orb is dust or a spirit since the dust explanation is based on science and common sense and the spirit orb is based on theory and speculation. Also there has been a rise in security cameras catching orbs or ghosts on late night surveillance footage. Usually when examined a little closer it turns out to be a bug reflecting in the night vision of the camera's capabilities.

Most of the orbs captured in photo are obtained from digital cameras and can be an imperfection/corruption in the pixels. When a photo taken with a 35mm film camera this almost never happens since it is developed straight to the film. There have been many tests and studies that have been conducted by the major camera manufactures and have also come to this conclusion, their findings can be found in a quick internet research session on their respective sites, It is a well known phenomenon and anyone that operates a camera professionally deals with this situation under un-ideal shooting locations and environments..


Now back to the popular television shows, concerning orbs, designed for the entertainment of masses:  These TV shows are made to entertain and they have to deliver and get ratings or they will not be approved for the next season. To the average person they may think that a paranormal investigation is always as exciting as what you see in the movies or on The Ghostbusters, but in truth 99% of the time an investigator is just sitting in the dark trying to stay awake while tests are being run, then the next day looking over hours of video, photos and audio that was obtained. Once in a while you will find something that looks curious but usually it has a logical explanation. So in the TV shows they have to keep the pace and keep the audience engaged, so something HAS to happen, hence why they always resort to orbs and E.V.P.S (more on that later) Sooo...orbs...spirits or nothing that a little Pledge can't take care of?


For further reading here is Dr. Bruce Maccabee concerning orbs:
http://brumac.8k.com/orb1.html

A word about E.V.P.s (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)

In addition to orbs, another tactic that TV producers use to make a ghost show more exciting and fill in dead space is to assault the audio with E.V.P.s (For a more detailed explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voice_phenomenon)

Some dishonorable investigators intentionally manipulate the audio and add in various sounds or phrases to fool the listeners. Others gathering audio may make honest mistakes and picked up the voices/audio of their fellow team members in the background. It is highly advisable to keep the number of people on site to a minimal so it would be easier to keep track of everyone's whereabouts. More times than not many of the team members are inexperienced** at conducting audio investigations and fail to keep the silence.

In and of itself, E.V.P,s are highly unscientific to begin with. Most of the proposed recordings can be disregarded right off the bat, especially when the recording and the voice is all breathy or you can hear the voice popping their “B”'s and “P”'s. If you know ANYTHING about E.V.P.s, it is (in theory) electrically generated sounds that resemble human speech: i.e. a manipulation of the electronics. So it would NEVER be breathy nor would it pop the “P”'s and “B”’s, it would more resemble Steven Hawkins speaking device or the human voice generator that comes on most modern computers. Anyone that studied the mechanics of human speech understand that lungs, vocal cords, lips and a tongue are needed to form words. Popping "B" and "P" would actually be a fault caused by too much air passing the lips and would never occur through manipulation of electronic/speaker equipment. Obviously many of the E.V.P.s that appear on the TV shows are extremely false and misleading and not based on science, just the naiveness of the viewers.

Granted many of the famous and popular Ghost shows on television are fake and for entertainment purposes only...many well to do “Ghost Hunters” fall into this trap and become victims of apophenia (whether by video, photo or audio). Also, according to scientific reality, "ghosts" do not have the ability to appear in their human form, in theory, a "ghost" is left over energy and would appear no differently than wind, an electrical field or any other naturally occurring form in nature. More on this subject later.

**A little about qualifications:
An acceptable background to conduct "scientific" investigations would be at least something in the field of science, criminal justice, teaching, social work, or psychology. Also a firm understanding and knowledge of the electrical equipment being used is needed also. An audio and video background would be highly suggested. Considering many of the locations that the "ghost hunters" hunt are in abandoned mental hospitals, prison, schools or assorted buildings some sort of formal education and experience would be expected.

Since they are attempting to communicate with ghosts/spirits, who were once people, you would think that these “hunters” would possess better communication skills and backgrounds to actually talk to these supposed ghosts. But sadly most of the "hunters" were inspired and took a liking to some television shows and not aware of prerequisites needed to enter the field, let alone earning any credentials that would qualify them to "talk" to ghosts/spirits (or the people they were in their past life).

There are many people that do not even understand the theory and science of what an E.V.P. actually is and present badly faked or misinterpreted ones to the public which is incredibly misleading. An E.V.P. is a manipulation of an electronic recording/output device, therefore the sound of a “voice” would be more robotic sounding and would NEVER have breathy sounds nor would any letters like “P” or “B” pop. Also comes along the painfully obvious fake photoshopped pictures or the infamous orb which is usually dust, a bug or an artifact on the digital camera that the “ghost hunter” is using but not properly trained on.

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. )

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Blue Hole, Winslow Township, New Jersey

by Chris Chaos

Within this body of water, a cold hand may reach up to greet you. Is it that of the Jersey Devil?

Since at least the 1930's the Jersey Devil has been linked to the Blue Hole. It is rumored to be his favorite watering hole and will pull under swimmers to their icy deaths. Bernard Anlage from Kramer Hill Camden provided Mr. Henry Charlton Beck with a wealth of knowledge concerning the Blue Hole located in Winslow Township, NJ. Located near Inskips Road and Piney Hollow Road it was a fearful place where the adults, including the hermit Joe Dixon, always warned their children to stay away from due to the supposed Devil that called this place home. Dave Dixon, Joe's brother fondly recalled that many of his boyhood friends had to be retrieved and revived after being pulled from the Blue Hole. This occurred after they, "..dared the hoodoo and sought to swim across."

Inskip Brick was the name of the man who ran the sawmill along the Blue Hole. Dave went on to state, "My father and others warned me and the boys I went around with not to hang around the bottomless pit. They used to say things about cramps but they meant more than that. It was as if there was something about that pool that had them scared, something they did not want to understand, something that gave them the shakes.


Dave went on to relate a tale that a man by the name of John Inskips Brown laughed at the people's warnings and swam out to the middle of the Blue Hole. He then let out a shout and went under the icy water for the last time, the locals fished John out and pulled him to the shore. John stated that the devil reached up and got him from deep in the pool.

Charles Downs from Williamstown stated, "The legends clinging to the hole have been handed down for years. Some Boy Scouts came here a few years ago and cleaned it out-this bridge is new as there are concrete pipes under the sluice. They managed to give the pool a free outlet for a time but now, as you can see, the flow is sluggish and the Blue Hole as sinister as ever."

Bernard Anlage went on to say, "..there used to be a big pike that hung around down there on the other side for many years. He would never even look at the bait on my hooks when I used to fish here. They tell me he got caught two years ago" (Beck, 1937).
(Note that the average life span of a Pike is 7 years)

The remains of the bridge
Located within the Pine Barrens of Winslow Township, New Jersey the Blue Hole (also referred to as The Devil's Puddle) is a mysterious body of water that remains cold (averages 50-58 degrees even in the summer months) no matter what time of the year and possibly houses the Jersey Devil himself. The blue water itself is very odd since most of the surrounding lakes are brown in color due to the bog iron and cedar water. The Blue Hole is possibly fed by groundwater as opposed to the surrounding streams.
Blue Hole Video

The Blue Hole, alleged to be bottomless, is approx 70 feet across, almost perfectly round, there are no signs of life within the lake and it is always cold to the touch. Back in the 1930's it was a popular watering hole for the locals and there was a wooden bridge over the Great Egg Harbor River that was washed away in the 1940's or 1960's (depending on who is telling the story) by a storm.


True danger does lurk among the warnings of the Jersey Devil. The hole has become abandoned to the locals due to the fears that it is bottomless, the currents or the Jersey Devil will pull you down to your death. But there are several similar holes in the area and is plagued by quicksand due to the high water table levels in the area. Rumored to be bottomless, others state that the bottom is made up of "sugar sand" and has claimed many victims. In its isolation, when you stand near the hole, it is eerily quiet and no sounds can be heard at all. Except for BLAST!! shots fired from the nearby shooting range. The surface of this watery hole is insanely still.


Some say that the hole is bottomless, others claim they have attempted to measure its depth only to fail. Legend states that The Devil Himself uses this hole as his personal portal to Hell. Still others claim that there is an unusual amount of Jersey Devil sightings in this area.

The Great Egg Harbor River where the bridge washed away

Locals fear swimming here and tell the tales of bodies being pulled out of the hole with scratches on their backs and legs after something pulled them down to their watery grave. Legends and tales are in no short supply and state that whirlpools form and swimmers cannot escape its pull. One man was supposedly pulled from his icy grave with scratches on his legs and black empty holes where his eyes once were. Of course tales of occult activity has also been attached to the location.

There are several fire pits around the area, but many claim them to be of Satanic origin


My personal opinion is that the Blue Hole is a pingo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingo), left over from the Ice Age. This would explain the cold water along with why the color is clear as opposed to the murky cedar water of surrounding bodies of water in the area.


New Jersey is full of strange surprises and the Blue Hole is no exception.

The Blue Hole, extended version


(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey.  He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, has a black cat named Jynx, four rats: Phantom the Dumbo Rat, Abbey the Albino, Hopping Heather and Climbing Carol, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Significance of the Crescent holed Outhouse and the Jersey Devil

by Chris Chaos

The outhouse, a common staple in movies depicting the deep south and the stereotypical hillbilly. So what does an outhouse have to do with the Jersey Devil and New Jersey?

There are many explanation as to why an outhouse has a moon cut out in the door. First let's go with logic, you know what takes place inside an outhouse and the modern indoor bathroom will either have a vent fan or a window for ventilation. Since the waste will sit in a dug out hole underneath the outhouse and will not get flushed away into a sewer system like modern houses with current plumbing, this little technique will allow some of the gases and smells escape.


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

The Jersey Devil Story

by Chris Chaos

It was a cold and stormy night in the year 1735 and Mother Leeds was in the throes of labor ready to deliver her 13th Child. Fed up with the frustration of her previous children she was tired and worn out and cursed this child, "I hope this one is the devil!!!!". A few minutes later the child was born, after a bit the child transformed with the gnashing of teeth, sprouting of wings and the growing of claws. The Devil child jumped out of Mother Leeds arms, screeched loudly and then flew up the chimney out into the night.

Legend has it that Mother Leeds was a witch (although factual basis dictates otherwise) and the father was the Devil Himself. This could be political doublespeak in an attempt to assassinate the character of your rivals. The neighbors were weary of the Leed's family and the love affair with the Jersey Devil will prove this over the centuries. But is the legend of the Jersey Devil just a cautionary tale told to keep the children in line? Is it just an urban formulated to draw in tourists and to keep us entertained while gathered around the campfire?


Mrs. Leeds had a baby that was so deformed, it tore her open when it was born. The deformed baby was kept out of sight by the family, because it was so hideous. The birth was supposedly the result of Mrs. Leed's promiscuous lifestyle and the townspeople all shunned her. There are many accounts throughout history of the "feral child", this could be a child born with some sort of birth defect and the parent could not or would not deal with the situation for one of many reasons. Basically the deformed or "retarded" child would be brought to an isolated area and left on its one to fend for itself, and the Pine Barrens is the perfect isolated location. A decent horror film that depicts how children left to the wilderness to fend for themselves is a film called MAMA (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2023587/)


It is very easy to see how a deformed child born in this era could be confused with some sort of monster, or be considered the child of the devil. To an overly religious or an uneducated public, this phenomenon could be construed as being something Satanic or the product of witchcraft to the fearful witnesses. The scared public could have been the source of the Jersey Devil legends, they could have seen a deformed child and the tales could have manifested themselves into the legends that we all know of today.

The Jersey Devil was born out of fact, fate, myth, fear, resentment and a whole lot of mystery. There were components of political slander, fear of deformed/cognitively challenged offspring, Hammerhead Bats, herons, cranes, deer, tall tales and exaggerations, fear of the unknown and the gossip of the townsfolk. A couple hundred years later and the documentary, "THE SEARCH FOR THE JERSEY DEVIL" (www.facebook.com/TheSearchForTheJerseyDevil) is sorting through the stories and reports to make sense of it all.

A site that provides some photographic examples of birth defects would be: http://pixgood.com/chernobyl-animal-birth-defects.html



Fake Footprints (PHOTO):
The Devil Prints: In the year 1952, strange tracks appeared deep in the Pine Barrens at Whitesbog.


Pictured are: Wesley Gibbs, a State Game Warden, State Troopers Matthew Garbulenski and Charles Groves, and F. A. Fralinger examining the strange foot prints he found.

For more info concerning the Jersey Devil:
www.facebook.com/TheSearchForTheJerseyDevil

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)